IPRA Newsletter
2011 • Volume 11 No. 1
Researching Peace Education: My Journey to the 28th Biennial IPRA General Conference Nairobi
Dr. Fouzia Ajmal[1]
The 28th Biennial IPRA General Conference on PEACE TECHNOLOGY Positioning Fourth Industrial Revolution and Emerging Technologies in Fostering Global Peace was held from 11th to 15th January 2021 at Multimedia University of Kenya in Nairobi, Kenya. The conference started with the welcoming opening |
ceremony on Monday January 11,2021 followed by keynote speeches and sessions related to themes of the conference. All sessions were followed by question/answer sessions and discussions along with a way forward to further research and moving towards peaceful societies.
Most of the researches involved multidisciplinary research approaches incorporating case studies of institutions, societies or nations. Each day of the conference ended with a networking tea and a documentary on various themes which led to the development of new ideas and practical solutions. The different perspectives which inspired me included the thoughts about Peace Building in different perspectives which had Implications for Peace Research in general and educational aspects in particular. I am overwhelmed by the continuous support and swift replies to my emails before travelling to Kenya and also during my memorable stay there. |
My research was related to the Peace Education Commission titled “Analysis of Curriculum of Teacher Education for Civic, Peace and Tolerance Education”. As a teacher educator I am working with preparing pre-service teachers in Pakistan. I always value the power of teachers in transforming the nations, especially those teaching at elementary schools. The research was undertaken to know the extent which Civic, Peace and Tolerance Education has been addressed in the curriculum of the B.Ed. (Honors) Elementary Education programme to develop peacebuilding in prospective teachers.
The findings of the study would be a guiding force towards inclusion of Civic, Peace and Tolerance Education in curriculum and pedagogy of preservice teacher education in Pakistan with a focus on peace-making through building resilience in future school teachers for them to transmit those values in elementary level school children. The concept of peace education in pre-service teacher education—long term solution and strategies for social conflicts prevention and peace building, analytical power, positive attitudes, practical skills, awareness about conflicts resolution, promoting democratic attitude and Peace building in society— are missing in most courses taught in pre-service teacher education.
| Spirit of unity, loyalty to the state and national pride, honest & decent behavior, participation in public life, compassion and generosity, charity and community activities, Civil, political rights and freedoms, Norms and values and Controversial political problems of civic education, are missing in most courses taught in pre-service teacher education. The concept of tolerance education, values of respect, tolerance and understanding, social conflicts resolution, control and peace building in society, freedom of opinion and expression, open mindedness for other genders, interest to live with other creeds, respect for others, |
all these develop the students’ emotional stability. However, these concepts lack in most pre-service teacher education courses. Realizing that the curriculum of pre-service teacher education requires reforms focusing on peacebuilding could be the first step towards improvement.
All the participants from across the globe, various continents and backgrounds, scholars, academicians, practitioners and peace researchers learned from the case studies of developing peace especially during covid-19 scenario. The conference ended with a closing ceremony, practical recommendations were presented along with take home messages from various fields and with the hope of meeting again in next IPRA activities and conferences. The conference ended on January 15,2021 but the journey continued. I along with few participants opted for the Safari Tour to Maasai Mara, Maasai Village and Lake Naivasha, which helped even more in building inner peace in my mind. The exciting flora and fauna, the unique wildlife, the vast park and the unending lake, all were exceptional. I personally felt overwhelmed after attending the conference and wish all the best for the future endeavors towards peacebuilding.
[1] Dr. Fouzia Ajmal is Assistant Professor, Department of Education, International Islamic University Islamabad Pakistan